


Oh Brother

by Kaunis_Sielu



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 15:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13010592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaunis_Sielu/pseuds/Kaunis_Sielu
Summary: Your brother works for the BAU. When you a get the call that he's been injured you fly across the country to be with him





	1. Chapter 1

You’d gotten the call that you’d hoped you’d never get. Your brother, Adam, had been captured during a case and was tortured for information. His boss, Agent Hotchner, assured that you that Adam was alive just not conscious.   
“When will he be conscious?” You ask shoving clothing into a bag.   
“The doctors don’t know. They’re worried about swelling in his brain.” His boss’ reassuring voice says through the phone.   
“I’m going to need someone to pick me up from the airport. Someone from your team with their badge.” If your brother had taught you anything it was to be cautious.   
“When are you coming in?”  
“The earliest flight should have me there at midnight.”  
“Text me when you land and your gate.”  
“Thank you.” You say zipping the bag and clicking purchase on your ticket all while pinching the phone between your ear and shoulder. “I’ll keep you in the loop as much as possible.”   
“See you soon.” You hung up then and raced out the door.   
The plane ride seems to take forever. But the second you touch down you text Agent Hotchner, you’re more than a little relieved when he texts you back that he’ll be waiting. You recognize him almost immediately, your brother’s description of his boss is spot on.   
“Agent Hotchner?”  
“Please call me Hotch.” He shows you his credentials and you nod. “I can take your bag.” He offers.   
“Oh, I’m good.” You say with a soft smile then follow him through the airport. He ushers you to a SUV that’s parked in front of the door, shivering slightly you’re glad he could park there.   
“Did you bring a coat?” He asks, your shiver apparently didn’t go unnoticed.   
“Nope. I’ll just steal one of Adam’s.” You say with a tight smile. “Any news?”  
“He’s the same, they’re going to run more tests tomorrow.”  
“Can I go see him?”   
“Not tonight. Visiting hours are over but I’ll come get you first thing in the morning. I assume you want to stay at Adam’s.”  
“Please.”


	2. Chapter 2

Hotch dropped you off at your brother’s house, a small apartment on the west side of DC. He makes sure that you don’t need anything then heads home. You assure him that you’re fine staying there by yourself.

You attempt to sleep in the guest room wrapped in a sweatshirt that you stole from Adam’s closet.

It’s nearly 4am when your phone lights up with a text.

**You’re not sleeping are you.**

**Nope.**

**Want to get breakfast?**

**Why can’t you sleep?**

**I feel responsible for your brother.**

**I’m his boss and it’s my job to keep him safe and I didn’t.**

**Hotch, Adam knows the risks.** **You can’t blame yourself. You didn’t hurt him.**

**Doesn’t ease the guilt.**

You sigh softly poor man. He seems like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. That’s not fair to anyone, he isn’t at fault.

 **Adam would tell you to shut the hell up boss.** You write back with a smile.

**You’re not wrong. So breakfast?**

**Whenever you want.**

**Ten minutes?**

**Yea.**

You climb out of bed and wash your face again. Twist your hair into a messy bun then slide on your shoes. There’s a soft knock on the door and you peek out the peephole and see that Hotch is standing outside the door looking sleepy.

“Hey.” You say pulling open the door.

“Hi.”

“Can we just get something to bring back here? I’m not really in the mood to deal with a bunch of people.”

“I’m glad to hear that cuz I’m not either.” You smile up at him then close and lock the door. The two of you walk down the flight of stairs in silence, not talking until you reach the SUV for the second time this morning.

“What do you want to eat?” Hotch asks starting the SUV.

“Adam brought me to this bagel place last time I was here. I think it was called Bundles. Do you think they’ll be open?”

“Let’s go find out. I usually just make pancakes when it’s this early.”

“Or we could do that. We’ll need milk for sure. Adam only buys the little milks.” You tell him closing the door behind you.

“You wouldn’t mind?” He asks starting up the SUV.

“Not in the slightest.” You give him a smile.

“Okay.” He takes you to a 24 hour grocery store and the two of you wander through the store until you find eggs, pancake mix, milk, syrup and chocolate chips. When Hotch sees the chocolate chips he gives you a half smile.

“Don’t judge me Hotchner.” You say with a small smirk. Earning a small chuckle from him.

“You know Adam has an incredible sweet tooth, I don’t know why I expected his sister to be any different.” He laughs.


	3. Chapter 3

Making pancakes with Hotch is actually really fun. He laughs when you dump 90% of the bag of chocolate chips into the mix. You spend the entire time in comfortable conversation. Then at 8:30 after a quick shower you head out to the hospital. You’re surprised to see a group of people sitting in the waiting room when you get there.   
“Andi this is the rest of Adam’s team. Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, David Rossi, Spencer Reid, JJ and Penelope Garcia.” Aaron introduces you to each person and you can see they’re as worried as you are about Adam.  
“How are you holding up?” JJ asks, her blue eyes searching your face.   
“I’ve been better for sure. I didn’t sleep last night.”  
“Visiting hours started five minutes ago. They won’t let us in without consent from you since you’re the only family he has.” Penelope says sadly.   
“That’s not true. He’s got you guys.”  
“They mean legal family.” Spencer says looking up at you from the novel he’s reading.   
“Did they give you any information?”  
“No.” Morgan says shaking his head.   
“Where do I go?”  
“I’ll show you.” Hotch says he guides you away from the group and shoots one of them a look over his shoulder before giving you a small smile.   
“Thank you Hotch.”   
“You can call me Aaron if you’d like.” He says softly guiding you to the nurses station.   
“How can I help you?” A woman asks not looking up from her screen.   
“I’m here to see my brother. Adam Clasen.”   
“ID?” She asks looking up at you. You pass her your ID and she checks it before handing it back to you. “Do you want to sign off on anyone else to go into his room?”  
“Yes, Agents Hotchner, Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, Reid, Garcia and um JJ. What’s JJ’s last name?” You ask Aaron.   
“Jareau.”  
“I’ll need all of their ID’s to scan into the system.”  
“We’re all FBI Agents, we can show our credentials but we can’t let you scan them.”  
“Fine!” She says throwing her hands into the air, it seems she’s been dealing with this group since they got there. You bite the side of your cheek to keep from laughing and turn toward Aaron instead. He looks down at you, amusement in his eyes. “Adam Clasen is in room 428.”  
“Thank you so much.” You say giving her a smile then walk back to the rest of the group with Aaron.  
“She was friendly.” He mutters and you giggle.   
“I think she’s a little sick of dealing with this group.” You say your arm brushing against his.   
“They can be a handful.” He admits and you chuckle softly.   
“I can imagine.” He looks like he wants to say something else but as you round the corner to where his team is he just gives you a small smile.


	4. Chapter 4

You’re not prepared for what you see when you walk into your brother’s room. You’d expected the tubes and wires, this was after all a hospital and he was unconscious. What you weren’t expecting was how bruised his face was. To the point where even if his eyes were open he wouldn’t be able to see you anyway. His jaw was wired shut, there was a cast on his right wrist. The second cast ran all the way up his left leg, from his foot to his hip. Lastly the gauze around his head, it was tinged pink on the side you could see.   
“Oh my god.” You breathe in horror, you’re glad the rest of Adam’s team let you have a moment alone with your big brother. Aaron is standing outside the door, he walked you up here but didn’t want to invade your privacy. You cover your mouth with a hand to stifle the sob, poor Adam. Oh god. You feel his hand on your shoulder and don’t have to turn around to know it’s Aaron. You turn toward him and bury your face in his chest.   
“I’m sorry. I should have warned you.” He says softly, his arms going around your shoulders. You can’t say anything, the tears pour down your cheeks. Adam. It’s like he’s a shell, your normally loud, energetic, sarcastic brother looks so lifeless on the bed behind you.   
“Sorry.” You murmur, stepping away from him. “I got tears on your shirt.”   
“It’s fine. I-” He starts then his phone rings.   
“Get it. I know how demanding your job can be.” You give him a tight smile then go sit next to your brother’s bed.   
“Hotchner.” His deep voice says but you’ve stopped paying attention. You gently smooth back Adam’s hair, your poor big brother.   
“Hey,” Aaron says softly interrupting your thoughts. You glance up at him.   
“I have to go, the Chief needs to go over the report about Adam. Do you want me to send someone else in?”  
“No. Whoever wants to come in can.” You say softly your hand resting on Adam’s.   
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”  
“Thank you Aaron.” He nods then looks down at your brother before leaving.   
“Oh Adam. Please be okay. Please.” You whisper to him, you don’t know why you’re whispering. It just feels like you should. There’s a soft tap on the door frame and when you look up you see a somber JJ.   
“Hotch didn’t want you to be alone.” She says as explanation as she enters the room and sits in the other chair. You nod then murmur,  
“Thanks.”


	5. Chapter 5

The doctor comes in a half hour later and talks to you about Adam’s condition. You don’t comprehend much, you’re exhausted and you’re thankful that Spencer is in the room with you and has an eidetic memory. Because you’re not paying attention, he’s explaining things, he’s saying things that just don’t make sense. Laceration, contusions, fracture. Can’t they just use normal words? Broken bones, cuts, hit in the head.   
“Has the swelling in his brain gone down at all?” Spencer asks as you stare down at Adam.   
“We’re going to take him for another scan in about ten minutes. Miss Clasen?”  
“Ms.” You automatically correct him before looking up at him.   
“My apologies.” He says and you wave him off, “You need to get some sleep.”   
“I’m fine.”  
“Ms-”  
“I said I’m fine. Worry about Adam.” You cut him off. He glances at Spencer then heads out the door.   
“You should try and get some sleep Andi.” He says gently.   
“What if these are the last moments I get to spend with him Spencer?” You ask in a terrified whisper. He’s all the family you have left.  
“Well statistically since he’s a nine on the Glasgow Coma Scale he’s got a 68% chance of living.”  
“Only 68%! Is that supposed to make me feel better?” You cry in anguish. Derek comes stalking into the room and gently pulls Spencer out as the tears start to fall down your cheeks. No. 68% is too low. You feel nauseous, oh god. 68 is too low! Warm hands are placed on your shoulders, when you don’t react the hands turn into arms that wrap gently around you.   
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” A deep voice comforts as they shift so they’re sitting next to you. “Reid means well but doesn’t always think things through before saying them. 68 is on the low side, the doctor was saying that he thought it was more like 82%. As long as the swelling in his brain has gone down they’ll be able to wake him.”  
“Won’t he be in more pain that way?” You ask into the shirt of who you now realize is Derek Morgan.   
“They give him meds to help but maybe.” He says honestly.   
“What if he doesn’t wake up?”  
“I don’t know.” He admits, “But let’s not worry about that bridge until we get to it okay? The chances look good.”   
“Thanks Derek.”


	6. Chapter 6

Derek had left not long after, to go get coffee. You set your elbows on the side of Adam’s bed and rest your head in both hands then close your eyes with a sigh.   
“Andi.” A gentle voice says touching your shoulder. Your eyes snap open as your head flies up.   
“What? What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing sweetie.” Penelope says with a small smile. “They just need to take him for another scan.”  
“Oh. Sorry.” You lean off the bed and curl sideways up into the chair.   
“Kiddo you need to get some rest.” Dave says gently as he crouches down in front of your chair. “Adam would be pissed if he woke up and saw you looking this exhausted and worried.”  
“I can’t leave him.” You whisper, the emotion thick in your voice.   
“I’m not saying leave. Just get some sleep. If you don’t I know Aaron won’t give you the choice to stay here. He’ll take you back to Adam’s.”   
“I’ll sit in here too and if anything happens I’ll wake you up okay?” Penelope says with a watery smile.   
“Okay.” You rest your head on the back of the chair and close your eyes again. You can’t get comfortable. You shift in the chair then sigh, how long is the scan going to take? Is Adam going to be okay? When is Aaron coming back? Is he already back? Why do you care? Now is not the time to be falling for someone. Especially not your brother’s boss. Your thoughts are spinning when someone else comes into the room.   
“Has she been asleep long?” Aaron asks softly.   
“I don’t know. Dave and I came in about ten minutes ago when the nurse came to take Adam for his second scan. She was asleep then with her elbows on the bed.”  
“She needs the sleep.”  
“So do you boss.”   
“I’m okay.”   
“Mhmm.” Penelope says sounding like she doesn’t believe a word her boss is saying.   
“I can sit with her if you want.”  
“You like her don’t you?”  
“If we had met under different circumstances I’d say yes in a heartbeat. I don’t want her to feel taken advantage of.” You’re thankful your face is turned away from him because you have to bite the inside of your lip to keep from smiling. At least you’re not the only one facing the dilemma of feelings.   
“She seems comfortable with you.” Penelope offers, she’s not wrong. It’s not that you don’t feel comfortable with the whole team, you do, it’s just with Aaron it was instant. You hear Penelope leave the room and Aaron sits down in the chair with a soft sigh.   
“Are you awake?” He asks softly and you nod.   
“Barely.” You mumble, “Penelope’s heels were loud.”  
“She’s not the most stealthy.” He says and you can practically hear the smile on his face. “Is that what woke you?” You don’t want to lie but you don’t know how he’ll react to you knowing everything he just said. You peek your eyes open and glance over at him then shake your head.   
“I feel the same.” You admit softly and a slow smile crosses his face.


	7. Chapter 7

You and Aaron don’t say anything for a few minutes. It’s not an uncomfortable silence and you think that Aaron is asleep until the nurse rolls Adam’s bed back into the room. His eyes open and look first at you then your brother then back at you. Seemingly gauging your reaction.   
“Any news?” You ask the nurse as she puts his room back together.   
“We won’t know for another half hour or so. The doctor will come in and talk with you.” You sigh deeply and she glances over at Aaron, “Sir maybe you should take your girlfriend for a walk or something. It can be hard to sit in here all day like she has.” You don’t look at him, she called you his girlfriend.   
“She has a point Andi. You’ve been cooped up in here for nearly eight hours.” When you go to protest he holds up a hand, “Prentiss can come sit with him while we go get some food. Adam would want you to stay healthy.”  
“Low blow Hotchner.” You grumble and he gives you a half smile.   
“You know I’m right.” He says standing and crossing the room toward you. “Besides, we should talk.” He holds a hand out and you stand slowly, your knees aching in protest. He types a message out to Prentiss and a couple minutes later she comes into the room.   
“Go get food. I’ll call you if the doctor shows up while you’re gone okay?” She gives you a small smile and you sigh knowing that you’re not going to win this one.   
“Fine! Fine. You guys win.” You cry throwing your hands in the air. You snatch up your purse and stalk out of the room, Aaron following closely behind you.   
“Hey. Hey.” He says softly catching your wrist and reeling you in toward him. He can tell you’re irritated, you really have no reason to be they are all just trying to help you.   
“Aaron.” You growl not moving. He wraps his arms around your waist and rests his chin on your head.   
“I’m sorry. I just am worried about you.” He says softly and now you really can’t be mad. He is just trying to help.   
“I’m so fucking scared Aaron.” You admit, your voice low.   
“I know.” He soothes, “I know.”   
“And don’t think I didn’t notice that you let that girlfriend comment slide.” You mumble as you wrap your arms around his waist. How is it that with just a simple embrace he can completely calm you down.   
“Like I said to Penelope, if it were different circumstances.”  
“I know.”  
“I do like you. I think you’re funny, sweet and smart. You’re stunning and brave and so strong.”  
“Stop. You’re going to make it harder for me to remind myself why this is a bad idea.” You say into his chest where you’ve rested your head.   
“Is it though?”


	8. Chapter 8

Those words keep echoing in your head. Is it though? He’d said. Is it a bad idea? The elevator had dinged pulling the two of you apart. You don’t talk about what had been said, instead you check your emails to see if you’ve heard back from your boss about your time off. You run your fingers through your hair before replying to the message. You’re thankful that you’re an editor and are able to work from just about anywhere. The doors slide open and Aaron glances over at you.   
“Everything okay?”  
“Just work stuff.” You dismiss it with a wave of your hand. “What do we have for food?” You ask, not really him but just to fill the silence that’s come over the two of you.  
“I hear the mac'n'cheese is good.” Aaron says with a small smile and you glance up at him confused. “When my son came to visit me once while I was here he told me it was good.”  
“How old is your son?” You ask trying not to sound surprised. You didn’t know he had a son.  
“He’s 11.”  
“I haven’t been keeping you from him have I?”  
“No. He’s on a school trip this week. They’re in Florida learning about the Marine life down there.”  
“That sounds awesome.” You say honestly as the two of you continue to stroll through the cafeteria looking at the food options.   
“I’m glad he likes these trips. It lets him see the country more than I can.”  
“It must be hard being gone all the time.” You say softly reaching for a sand which.   
“It is. We FaceTime everyday and text a lot now that he’s older.” He says pulling a wrap from the shelf that’s stuffed with veggies. “Wanna get some fries to share?”  
“Oh, uh sure.” You grab a Diet Coke from the fridge and glance at him.   
“Diet too please.” He says before grabbing some fries off of the heating rack. You grab a second bottle then follow him to the register.   
“So a wrap and some fries?”   
“And hers.”  
“Aaron you don’t have to.” You protest and he waves you off. The woman rings up your food and he pays then the two of you head back up to Adam’s room. You get there just as the doctor is squirting hand sanitizer onto his hand. He ushers you inside and you and Aaron put your food on the little rolling table while the doctor looks through the file he has.   
“We’re going to wake him, or at least we’re going to stop giving him the anesthetic that’s keeping him under.” He says giving you a small smile.   
“So the swelling has gone down?” You ask hopefully.   
“It has. He’s going to be in a lot of pain and might not remember much but the damage should be minimal. Most of his injuries were to his torso, arms and legs.” You nod but you can’t stop smiling. You know Adam’s not out of the woods yet. But he’s one step closer. “He has a long way to go but this is great progress.” He smiles at you. “I’ll let the anesthesiologist know.”   
“Thank you.” You say returning his smile.   
“I’ll go tell the team!” Prentiss says happily and when she glances down at your brother you wonder for a second if there’s something more there than friendship.   
“Thank you Emily.” You say and she nods at you before leaving.   
“The swelling is down!” You say excitedly to Aaron. You grasp his forearms, “They’re going to let him wake up.” You glance up at him and then throw your arms around his neck. You’re so relieved that you’ve finally got some good news. You pull away enough to smile up at him, he grins down at you then something on his face shifts and he plants his lips on yours.


	9. Chapter 9

Your head is spinning. His mouth moves on yours and you’re pretty sure your heart has stopped. Your lips part and his tongue brushes against yours sending tingles down your body, all the way from your scalp to your toes. He pulls away and looks down at you, looking as dazed as you feel.   
“Well shit.” You mutter and he laughs.   
“Yea, sorry about that.”  
“Please, don’t be.” You still haven’t removed your arms from his neck nor he his from your waist. “Thank you for being here.”  
“I’m glad I could be of help.” There’s a knock on the door and you step away from him as the door creaks open. He looks slightly downcast until you capture his hand in yours.   
“Hi there. My name is Laura. I’m going to turn off the drugs that are keeping him unconscious and hook up some morphine.”  
“He can’t have morphine.”  
“What?”  
“He’s allergic. He has to have dilaudid.”   
“Let me just double check his records.” She glances at the papers, “It doesn’t say anything about that.”  
“You give him morphine. I will sue you.” You sneer, last time had almost killed him. Aaron puts a calming hand on your shoulder. She looks taken aback by your outburst. You take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down.   
“I’ll go talk to his previous doctor.”  
“It was at the dentist.”  
“Oh. That would explain why it’s not in his file. Do you know the name of the dentist?”  
“No.” You admit with a frown.   
“Dr. Wilder.” Aaron says joining the conversation. “He’s my dentist too.” He explains when you shoot him a questioning look.   
“Alright I’m going to start taking him off the anestisa now and I’ll go contact his dentist to get the allergy in his file.”  
“Thank you.” You say softly and she gives you a small smile before getting to work. When she leaves you start to pace the length of the small room. It’s on what feels like your fiftieth passing Aaron reaches out and takes your hand.   
“Come sit.” He says softly, “I know you’re anxious but wearing a hole in the tile isn’t going to help.” You drop down into the seat next to him with a heavy sigh.   
“What is taking so long?” You ask after a few moments of silence. You drop your head onto Aaron’s shoulder and close your eyes. His thumb brushes over your knuckles in time with your breathing. You’re almost completely relaxed when you hear a soft groan come from Adam’s bed. You practically leap to your feet hurrying to his side, you’re looking down at him when those bright blue eyes of his open. He looks confused for a minute, you’d heard he might be.   
“Adam?” You ask softly, praying he knows who you are.   
“Hiya Sis.” He mumbles through his wired jaw and you break down in overjoyed tears. His hand finds yours on the bed and gives a gentle squeeze.   
“I shoulda known I wasn’t getting rid of your stubborn ass so easily.” You say through your tears earning a tired chuckle from your brother.


	10. Chapter 10

It takes a week before Adam can really communicate without being in extreme plain. You’ve been staying at Aaron’s, it’s easier to sleep if someone makes you actually go to bed. And he’s there when you wake up in a panic worried about Adam, he calms you down enough to actually sleep again.  
You always show up right when visiting hours start, sometimes one of Adam’s teammates will be waiting but today you’re alone. They had to take a case, it’s local but you’ve been around for a local case before. It’s not much different than an out of town case, the only difference is that they might actually get to take a quick nap in their own homes. You walk into Adam’s room being as quiet as possible, just in case he’s still asleep. His eyes turn toward you and you smile, god it’s nice to see those eyes open.   
“Morning Bro.” You greet him like you used to in high school, he never was much of a morning person.   
“You look rested. I’m glad you’re finally sleeping.” He says with a tired smile.   
“Yea. Knowing that you’re improving has definitely helped.” You don’t mention that his boss’ help.   
“Emily said that you fought them on sleep for the first two days. That you fell asleep with your head in your hands resting on the side of my bed.”  
“I wasn’t going to leave you. You’re all I’ve got left meathead.” You tease sitting down in the chair.   
“She also said that you were a sobbing mess.” You really don’t want to talk about it. You give a noncommittal shrug then switch the topic.   
“Speaking of Emily what’s going on with you two?”  
“Nothing.” He says a bit too quickly.   
“Liar. I know something’s up there. Spill.”  
You fold your arms over your chest and wait. He stares at you for a while then caves, like you knew he would.  
“Okay fine. We’ve been out on a few dates. I really like her.”  
“How many is a few?”  
“Four.”  
“I like her too. She’s smart, nice, loyal, has that same dark sense of humor as you, she’s beautiful and a total badass. I totally approve.”  
“I do too.” You furrow your brows at him, “I mean of you and Hotch.”  
“Of me an- uh- me and Hotch?” You sputter unconvincingly.   
“Don’t even bother. I can tell there’s something between the two of you. I see it in the way his eyes follow you across the room. How you lean slightly in toward him. The way he stands next to but slightly behind you, in case he needs to protect you. I see it in the way you completely relax when he walks into the room. You’re good for one another. He’s the reason you’ve been able to sleep isn’t he?”  
“You damn profilers.” You mutter causing a low chuckle from Adam. “Fine. I like him. A lot actually. So much that I’ve considered relocating to the east coast branch. It’d be nice to be closer to you after all of this but I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t part of the thought process.”  
“I’d love it if you’d move back here.”  
“You would?”  
“Of course. You’re my baby sister.”  
“By thirteen minutes!” He waves you off.  
“Anyways. I want you to be happy and Hotch is a good man. He’d keep you safe too.”  
“I don’t need someone to protect me. I’m not a dainty flower.”  
“I know. But I also know I’d rest easier knowing that you’d be safe.”  
“Says the man lying in the hospital bed.”  
“Shut up punk.”  
“Try to make me meathead.”


	11. Chapter 11

It’s nearly a month before Adam is well enough to go home. You’ve told your boss you’d like to transfer, with almost loosing Adam you’re not sure if you could actually go all the way across the county again. She’s sad she’s loosing you at her office but understands, you need to be closer to family.   
You move into his spare room while you look for a place to live. Again spending more time at Aaron’s than at Adam’s. You met Jack as soon as he’d come home and completely adored the boy. He was as wonderful as you’d assumed any child of Aaron’s would be.   
The second the team had finished their local case he and Emily had shown up at the hospital. You’d given Emily a soft smile and a nod then allowed Aaron to take you back to his apartment where the two of you cooked and talked then fell asleep curled together on his bed.   
They were gone again when they let Adam out of the hospital, but once again the first place he and Emily came was where the two of you were.   
“Hey.” You say softly, “He just feel asleep, he’s super crabby because he’s in a lot of pain but doesn’t want to take his meds because they make him feel loopy.”  
“I’ll see if I can convince him to take them.” Emily says patting your arm. “Go. You look exhausted.”   
“You two don’t look much better.” You comment, glancing up at Aaron and seeing the dark circles under his eyes. “I just need my bag and to show Emily where I put everything for Adam. Three minutes okay?” Aaron nods and leans against the door as you lead Emily further into the apartment. “Is he okay?” You whisper once you’re out of sight.  
“He had to kill the UnSub to save the last victim. We all know that we’re killing horrible people and that it might be the best and only option but it doesn’t make it easy.” You nod not sure what to say and grab the already packed bag out of the spare room.   
“His meds are all in the bathroom cupboard. They’re color coded and I wrote a list of times and everything on a paper that’s taped to the inside of the cupboard door. Call if you have any questions.”  
“I will.”  
“Night Emily.” You say with a little smile then you take Aaron’s outstretched hand and follow him out to his SUV. It’s a quiet drive to his place. You don’t let go of his hand the entire drive, about halfway his thumb starts to slide along the soft curve of your hand. It’s not until you get into his apartment that he speaks.   
“Can I get you anything to eat?”  
“We have that spaghetti we were going to do. That shouldn’t take long.”   
“I’m not hungry.”  
“Aaron.” You say softly, he’d been your rock for all of this so easily that you forgot that he might need someone to cling to too. You drop your bag on the floor and wrap your arms slowly around his neck. One hand cups the back of his head and the other slides across his shoulders. He lets out a small groan as he wraps his arms tightly around your waist. You’ll stand here as long as he needs.   
“I’m sorry.” He says into your shoulder where his head has landed.   
“Don’t be. This is what a relationship is. Supporting one another when needed.”  
“So this is a relationship.” He says pulling away enough to look down at you.   
“If you want it to be. I don’t plan on going anywhere for a while.”   
“Good.” He says before crashing his lips into yours. He kisses you like you’re the only thing he needs to survive. You’re bent slightly backwards you’re pressed so tightly to him. His hands are warm on your back, his hair soft under your fingers. Oh no you don’t plan on going anywhere for a long, long while.


End file.
